Re: [romania_eu_list] Bulgaria: opposition against Canadian Euromax Resourcesculminates

[Catalin Dimofte]

Da' cei din Belene n-au tinut si ei vreun referendum?
On 7/12/06, TERRA Mileniul III <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:






11 July 2006, Sofia, Bulgaria
Bulgaria: opposition against Canadian Euromax ResourcesculminatesYesterday the village of Popintsi held a referendum on the exploration andextraction of gold on the near-by hill of Petelovoto: 97% of local people
voted against the project of the Canadian company Euromax Resources (calledOmax before July 2004 and registered in Bulgaria as Martern Ltd.) and againstpossible future extraction of precious metals by cyanide leaching.
The political will for this referendum emerged last week when the tensionbetween the local people and the company claimed its first victim: AngelDaskalov, one of the locals who was barricading the road against the
company's machinery, was found in the forest stabbed three times around theheart. Fortunately, emergency surgery saved his life and he is nowrecovering.The incident finally drew the attention of Bulgarian media and politicians:
local MPs and the President of the Republic visited the mountain village andthe road camp of the protesters during the weekend. The people of Popintsiare now expecting the case to reach a resolution, which would allow them to
close the road camp and return to their normal lives.The village of Popintsi, situated in central Bulgaria, became famous for itsopposition to the exploration project of the Canadian Euromax Resources. The
Petelovo hill above the village was explored extensively by the state companyfor geological explorations during communism. In 1986 there was a project forthe extraction of the precious metals deposit, but since it involved cyanide
leaching, it did not receive approval by the local people and authorities.Due to fears concerning future projects for extraction with cyanides, duringthe last two years the village has resisted the attempts of Euromax Resources
to bring machinery and carry out exploration on the Petelovoto hill. Thecompany tried to put pressure on Bulgarian institutions and looked for alegal resolution through the Court. Last week the whole village gathered in a
road camp above the village in expectation for the gendarmerie to clear theway for Euromax Resources. Meanwhile the Cyanide-free Bulgaria coalition ofenvironmental organisations has sent numerous signals about the case to the
Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor and to the European Commission and Parliament.Several decisions regarding gold exploration and extraction projects inBulgaria have been put on hold for the last four months. Canadian gold
companies are complaining that bureaucratic and corrupt institutions areslowing down their projects. Environmental groups are insisting on stricterimplementation of environmental legislation and on wider public dialogue
regarding the sustainable management of the precious underground resources ofthe country.=====================Fidanka BachevaCoordinator for Southeastern EuropeCEE Bankwatch Network----------
Address:c/o Za Zemiata (For the Earth)P.O. Box 975Sofia 1000, Bulgariat/f: +359 2 943 11 23
www.bankwatch.org 
 

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